A Downer and An Upper

I was looking to experiment a little in the kitchen while my husband is gone and went to Sunshine Natural Foods to look around. I haven't been there in a while and boy what a change! The store is now half the size and very little of it is food. I was very disappointed. What they do have is replicated by United Supermarkets, which is probably why they downsized--it is hard to compete with United since it went into the organic lines. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to try to carry a lot of specialty things that United doesn't sell.

However, I was looking for some tahini to make hummus and ended up at the International Market in the little strip mall on Southwest Parkway and Fairway (Caesar's Pizza is probably the best known of the stores there.) I have been meaning to stop in and finally had a reason. I found my tahini, but also found a lot of spices and other items used in Middle Eastern, Indian and Oriental cooking. It isn't a big store, but check it out. The store doesn't open until 11:00 AM, so plan accordingly. A lot of interesting items and some fresh produce--not a lot, but some. First place I have seen mung beans for a long time.

I used to sprout mung beans, although I prefer alfalfa sprouts. There would be something that would be wonderful for Sunshine to carry--alfalfa seeds for sprouting. Have you seen the price of alfalfa sprouts in the store? They are great on sandwiches and salad. Never made your own sprouts? It's easy. I found a good YouTube video that shows the process. Give it a try!

Sunshine Eatery Closing

According to a story in today's Times Record News, Sunshine Natural Foods is closing its restaurant. I am sorry to hear that, even though it wasn't a place I ate often. I don't know any of the local restaurants that serve organic and only a couple that seem to make any effort toward local foods. I think if we could find someone willing to go organic and local, they could make a go of it, even in "meat and potatoes" Wichita Falls.

Best wishes to Jay Murray in his new job at Rolling Meadows.

Sunshine Natural Foods

Sunshine Foods has been a long-time favorite for organic and natural food in Wichita Falls. Before the major grocery chains began to carry a lot of natural and organic foods, this was about the only place in town to get these products. They are also the only restaurant that has organic food on the menu and vegetarian selections. They also have meat dishes.

It has been a long time since I went to Sunshine as the last couple of times haven't been impressive in terms of food quality and selection on the shelves. However, the point is to encourage businesses that support sustainable living, so I decided to go back today to check out lunch. I'm glad I did. Lunch was good. I decided on the chicken soup with whole grain roll, since I wasn't starving (although I did pick up an oatmeal raisin cookie to go--it was supposed to be my afternoon snack, but it didn't last that long. No willpower.) I did overhear some folks who came in behind me who had never been to the restaurant before--let's help Sunshine by spreading the word. I will go more often.

I did notice going in that they are now offering organic produce AT COST. I am not sure how they can afford to do that, but good for them. They don't have a large selection of produce, but perhaps if more people come in, they will in the future. You can also purchase local raw honey by the pound--just turn on the spigot and fill your choice of container. The shelves were better stocked than they were at times in the past. Although many of the products are available in local grocery stores, some are not.

I have been disappointed that Sunshine Foods has not been a vendor at the EcoFair in the past--perhaps they will get involved this year. I hope so.

My favorite is the bakery. They always have some fresh organic bread and cookies, both of which are soft points with me.

How About a Vegetarian Restaurant?

One of the things we talked about at the Sierra Club meeting is the need for a good vegetarian restaurant, preferably emphasizing local, organic produce. Right now, that would be a tough sell as it is not easy (perhaps impossible) to find locally grown, organic produce.

There is very little in the way of vegetarian fare in the local restaurants, and certainly nothing organic. Sunshine Foods has a small lunch selection. The food is okay, but nothing to write home about.

I could see an argument for having a portion of the menu with grass fed, organic beef and other meat items, to encourage more people to try the restaurant and sample vegetarian fare.

Please, one of you restaurant owners or restaurant owner wannabe's, how about giving this a try? (Or if you don't want to go too far out on the proverbial limb, how about adding more vegetarian choices to your current menu? Of course, the dishes would have to be more orginal than a side dinner salad with iceberg lettuce.)